Sunday storage unit fire 'as labour intensive as firefighting can be': EFRS

A blocked drain led to localized flooding at the U-Haul Moving and Storage on 111 Avenue and 154 Street, as firefighters worked to extinguish a fire in one of the sections of storage units. (Brandon Lynch/CTV News Edmonton)

A section of road on 111 Avenue was blocked off for several hours Sunday while fire crews worked to put out a fire in a self-storage facility.

Officials said the fire was reported at the U-Haul Moving and Storage on 154 Street around 10 p.m. Saturday night.

Due to difficulty accessing the fire, crews worked through the night and into early Sunday afternoon.

Each unit needed to be opened and emptied to check for fire activity, and crews of five worked in three-hour shifts to clear smoke, check units and extinguish hot spots.

An Edmonton Fire Rescue Services safety officer said the efforts were "about as labour intensive as firefighting can be."

A firewall helped contain the damage to one section of self-storage units, the officer said, but units and contents in the section containing the fire did see smoke and water damage.

No injuries have been reported yet, and the extent of the damage to the facility and the belongings inside is unknown at this time. 

Epcor crews were also on site, working to remove a blockage in the drainage system that caused the lot to flood as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.